Every morning, the We Love Baseball crew reviews the nastiest pitches from the previous day’s games in glorious high-definition GIFs. We want to bring you the highest caliber of nastiness possible, so if you see a nasty pitch, please tell us about it. You can tweet @PitcherList to let us know and we’ll give you a shout-out here in the article if your tip makes the cut.
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Yu Darvish’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/cavernouscarefreeivorybilledwoodpecker
A loss in the playoffs is a tough way to end the season for Cy Young-contender Yu Darvish. Darvish did his part, but it’s tough to win games without scoring any runs. Darvish had a great fastball and was able to break off a few good sliders, like this one to Garrett Cooper.
Sixto Sánchez’s Four-Seam Fastball
https://gfycat.com/bluehelpfulasiansmallclawedotter
It’s been quite the come-up for Sixto Sánchez this year. He’s gone from the alternate site to ace of a playoff team all in less than a couple of months. Sánchez continued to rely on his high-velocity fastball to overpower hitters like Javier Báez. This one was well spotted in the upper corner of the strike zone.
Adrian Morejón’s Splitter
https://gfycat.com/dismalrealisticblobfish
Adrian Morejón was one part of a nine-part shutout that clinched an invite to the Division Series for the Padres. Morejón was able to strike out two hitters in his scoreless inning of action with a splitter that fell right off the table before reaching the plate.
Jack Flaherty’s Slider
https://gfycat.com/leansilentamericanbittern
Jack Flaherty was revved up for this start. He had great stuff and was able to strike out seven hitters while giving up only one run. That’s usually enough to win, but not against the Padres bullpen last night. Flaherty’s finishing pitch was a sharp slider that fooled hitters all night. (h/t to PL+ member AetherJ)
Brandon Kintzler’s Sinker
https://gfycat.com/bestfakearchaeopteryx
Brandon Kintzler gave up a leadoff double to Jayson Heyward before striking out the side to finish off the Cubs season. Kintzler’s first two punchouts were on perfectly placed sinkers on the outside corner. David Bote can complain, but Kintzler’s sinker is a strike along with a tough way to end a season for Bote.
Trevor Rosenthal’s Changeup
https://gfycat.com/shimmeringclearcutamericankestrel
Losing the top two pitchers in their rotation was a tough way to start the playoffs, but the Padres’ resiliency was rewarded with a trip to the Division Series. The Padres’ bullpen really came through in Game Three, and Trevor Rosenthal was able to finish the series using mostly his fastball, but also this well-spotted changeup to Matt Carpenter.